Weynand leads UAB women over Mississippi Valley State

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - For the second-consecutive game, senior guard Kelsie Weynand registered a career-high as her 18 points lifted the UAB women's basketball team to a 70-47 victory against Mississippi Valley State Saturday evening.

The Blazers, who are now 3-1 overall on the year, were also led by senior guard Amber Jones, who finished three assists and three rebounds shy of a triple double (15 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists). Her seven assists also tied a career high that she set last season against Houston (Jan. 15, 2012).

"Kelsie saved us tonight," head coach Audra Smith said. "She knows that she has the green light to shoot, and she took advantage of that tonight. As a team, we have some work to do, but I am always excited to get a win."

UAB went through a sluggish first half and fell behind for the large portion of 20 minutes. In fact, the Blazers trailed by as many as five points with the score at 9-4 with 15:36 remaining in the period.

Coach Smith's team rebounded from that early deficit to build a sizable lead as Jones hit a layup with just over six minutes remaining in the half to give her team a 10-point cushion (29-19).

That advantage would soon evaporate, however, as the Devilettes finished the period on a 13-2 run to take a 32-31 lead into the break.

UAB then exploded in the second half, led by Weynand's hot-shooting performance and her 4-for-9 clip from three-point range. Weynand jump started a Blazer offense that shot 40 percent in the final period and scored 20 points off MVSU turnovers.

"Our team has been through a lot over the last few weeks," said Smith. "Honestly, I thought we looked extremely tired and flat in the first half. As a coaching staff, we went in and made some adjustments and the girls responded."

Junior forward Karisma Chapman also played a large role for the Blazers on Saturday, scoring a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds - her fourth career double-double.